Many people are concerned with the degree of pigmentation of their skin. For example, people with age spots or freckles may wish such pigmented spots to be less pronounced. Others may wish to reduce the skin darkening caused by exposure to sunlight or to lighten their natural skin color. To meet this need, many attempts have been made to develop products that reduce the pigment production in the melanocytes. However, the substances identified thus far tend to have either low efficacy or undesirable side effects, such as, for example, toxicity or skin irritation. Therefore, there is a continuing need for new cosmetic skin lightening agents, with improved overall effectiveness.
Applicants have now discovered that 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and derivative compounds deliver skin lightening benefits. The general chemical formulas and structures of these compounds are discussed in more detail herein below. The 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and derivative compounds have been found to be cosmetically effective and possibly less irritating to the skin. These compounds of the present invention have not been used in cosmetics, nor have they been used, specifically, for lightening skin. The 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate is available from Sigma-Aldrich.